Denverbroncps Football Betting News

<< 2009 NHL Entry Draft: Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League will hold its annual Entry Draft this weekend at the Bell Centre in Montreal, and the New York Islanders, owners of this year's No. 1 overall pick, will get the event started Friday

<< Ridgewood and Plainfield to host 2010, 2011 events
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The PGA Tour announced Wednesday that Ridgewood Country Club and Plainfield Country Club, both in New Jersey, will host the 2010 and 2011 The Barclays, respectively. "New Jersey is honored that The Ba

<< Petrova advances to third round at Wimbledon
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian Nadia Petrova was an easy second round winner Wednesday at Wimbledon. The 10th-seeded Petrova breezed past Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-2 and will next play the winner between 2004 Wimbledo

<< A's Chavez has season-ending surgery
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez had back surgery Tuesday, a procedure that ended his season after only eight games. Chavez went on the disabled list earlier this season because of a strained ri

Serena rolls; Sharapova exits Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion Serena Williams was an easy winner on Wednesday, while another former champ, Maria Sharapova, suffered a second-round upset for the second straight year at Wimbledon. The second-seeded Wi

Djokovic reaches third round at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Serbian star Novak Djokovic was a straight-set second-round winner Wednesday at The Championships, Wimbledon. The former Australian Open titlist Djokovic drove past German Simon Greul 7-5,

Federer, Djokovic reach third round at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer and fourth-seeded Serbian star Novak Djokovic were straight-set second-round winners Wednesday at The Championships, Wimbledon. The second-seeded former world No. 1 Feder

Elliot Williams leaving Duke for family medical reasons >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sophomore guard Elliot Williams has decided to leave Duke University after one season because of family medical reasons. School officials announced Wednesday that Williams wants to transfer closer to his ho

Betting Football

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.